Former Burkinabe transitional president, ex-Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, has been extradited from Togo to his native country where he is accused of being the mastermind of several coup attempts, Lomé authorities said Tuesday.

Mr. Damiba seized power in January 2022 in a coup against the then-elected president, Roch Kaboré, before being overthrown in turn nine months later by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who is still in power.

Having gone into exile in Togo, he is regularly accused by the Ouagadougou junta of being the mastermind behind several coup attempts, the latest at the beginning of the month.

Mr. Damiba was arrested in Lomé on January 16, "in execution of the arrest warrant which was part of an extradition request received" four days earlier from the Burkinabe authorities, said the Togolese Minister of Justice, Pacôme Adjourouvi, in a statement read on public television on Tuesday.

The Lomé Court of Appeal gave a "favorable opinion" on the extradition request and Mr. Damiba was "handed over to the authorities" of Burkina Faso on January 17.

He is being prosecuted for "criminal embezzlement of public funds, criminal illicit enrichment, corruption, incitement to commit offenses and crimes, aggravated receiving of stolen goods and money laundering".

The Togolese Minister of Justice specifies that the favorable opinion of extradition was granted in particular because "guarantees" were given by Burkina Faso regarding respect for the physical integrity of Mr. Damiba, and his right to a fair trial.

He also mentions "the absence of the death penalty", even though Burkina Faso recently reintroduced it for crimes of high treason.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the authorities in Ouagadougou had not commented on the matter.

At the end of 2024, Captain Traoré said he "hoped" for the extradition of Mr. Damiba, who had been dismissed from the army at that same time for "collaboration with a foreign power or with terrorist groups" aimed at destabilizing Burkina Faso.

- Regular accusations -

Since seizing power, Captain Traoré's junta has announced that it has thwarted several attempts at destabilization, and regularly accuses Mr. Damiba.

The most recent incident dates back to January 3rd: in the days that followed, a series of "confessions" from alleged accomplices were broadcast on state television. All claimed to have acted on the instructions of Mr. Damiba.

Captain Traoré pursues a sovereignist and anti-imperialist policy, particularly hostile to the former French colonial power, whose soldiers he expelled in early 2023 to fight against jihadists.

It turned to new partners, starting with its neighbors, Niger and Mali, which are facing the same jihadist violence and are also governed by military juntas.

Together, they have notably grown closer to Russia and formed a confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

They left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Togo is still a member.

But Lomé maintains good relations with the ESA countries and occupies a strategic position thanks to its access to the sea, which the three Sahelian countries lack.